


the prince and the dragon

by the_problem_with_stardust



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Don’t copy to another site, Drama, Established Relationship, Fake Character Death, Happy Ending, Kidnapping, Knight Derek Hale, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Misunderstandings, Multi, Outdoor Sex, Prince Derek Hale, Quests, Sort Of, Sterek Week, Sterek Week 2019, There is a dragon, i think im done, now im done, sterek outdoors, sterekoutdoors, thats neat, wait
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-28
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2020-12-24 12:10:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21099263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_problem_with_stardust/pseuds/the_problem_with_stardust
Summary: Less than a month after the death of his betrothed at the hands of a powerful sorcerer, Prince Derek is struggling to pick up the pieces of his shattered heart. But when a dragon kidnaps his closest friend, Derek and his knights must put their mourning aside to rescue the Princess Lydia and put an end to the rogue beast’s mischief.Sterek Week 2019 Day 3: Outdoors





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just as a heads up, there is assumed character death happening here. If you are on the fence, I stuck a brief summary in the end notes (warning: spoilers) so you can better judge the angst levels. As always, there will be a happy ending :D

“Do you have to go?” Derek immediately wished he could take his words back. Stiles was an important man, the High Mage of Beacon, and Derek had no right to be jealous of his time. Even if they were to be married in less than a month.

Across the room, Stiles smiled softly. He dropped the poorly folded shirt he was holding on top of his rucksack and slipped back into their bed.

“You know that I’d much rather be here,” he said, before dipping down to cover Derek’s lips with his own.

In the space of seconds, Derek’s mood went from melancholy to heated. He wrapped his arms around Stiles’ waist and swallowed down the bright laugh he earned when he rolled them over, their feet tangling helplessly in the sheets.

Stiles was always beautiful, but especially so when his lips were kiss-swollen and his hair mused from Derek’s fingers. His eyes burned golden, like they were lit from within, and Derek was once again struck speechless at the sight. But somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen.

Pushing away the thought, Derek focused on the man beneath him. Stiles was the most powerful being in the land, yet Derek could take him apart with a touch and a whispered word. And more than that, Stiles would _let _him. It was exhilarating.

As if from leagues away, the clang of Beacon’s warning bells started to drown out the sounds of lovemaking. Derek felt his stomach drop as the dream evaporated from him like mist before the rising sun.

He stubbornly kept his eyes closed against reality, wondering if it would be better to just let the citadel be overrun by whatever threat was disturbing his rest. Perhaps then he could return to the safety of his dreams, where at least the other half of his bed wasn’t cold and empty.

But frantic pounding at his door killed any hope of further sleep.

“Derek!”

He was on his feet immediately, the room spinning wildly around him. Numb fingers fumbled a shirt over his head, and he hauled the door open to find Laura standing in the hallway, looking desperate in a way he hadn’t seen since the death of their parents.

“What’s going on?” Derek gripped her upper arms, trying to ground her.

Laura’s heartbeat was like a battering ram in his ears. “The watch tower is burning.”

Derek cursed, scrambling back into his room. His boots were scattered from where he threw them only hours ago, done with the day and done with pretending to be unaffected by the events of the last few weeks. But for Laura, he was willing to be strong for a little longer.

“Who is responsible?” Derek asked as he fastened his sword belt over his sleeping clothes.

Laura shook her head, leading him through the passages they’d known all their lives. “It’s too dark to tell, but there’s no one on the ground.”

“Was anyone injured?”

“No,” Laura wrenched open the outer door, revealing the chaos in the courtyard. “Thank the goddess, it must have happened during the guard change.”

At the far end, the rough wooden scaffolding referred to as ‘the watch tower’ was engulfed in flames. Derek braced himself at the sight, knowing Laura was probably fighting to maintain her composure as well. The Hales had no fondness for fire.

“Damn it.” Derek turned from the scene, looking toward the castle. His mind was still sleep-fogged, but this could only mean one thing. “It’s a distraction.”

Laura’s eyes widened, the expression fleeting before she’d schooled it into something hard. “A trap.”

“No,” Derek was scanning the roofline when he spotted it. “Dragon!”

The knights in the courtyard stopped their milling about and looked up, focusing on where Derek was pointing. The beast roared, embers glowing in its throat as it spread its wings.

A volley of arrows fell short as the dragon took flight. Derek caught sight of a struggling figure gripped in the talons of the beast’s front limbs.

“It’s a kidnapping.” He turned to Laura, who’d abandoned all attempts at looking in control of the situation.

“Lydia,” she said, and he felt the color drain from his face. “The dragon took Lydia.”

Derek allowed himself to the count of ten to get his emotions under control. The dream alone was a lot to deal with but adding in the loss of his best friend would be enough to send him spiraling if he wasn’t careful.

“Sir Boyd,” he said, knowing the other ’wolf would hear. “I need two knights to pursue the beast. Try to keep it in sight or we will lose any hope of tracking it in flight.”

“Yes, sire.” Boyd, the captain of the knights, reiterated his orders to the fastest among them. Isaac took off immediately, with Erica following close behind. They were two of Derek’s best friends and he felt comforted knowing they were in pursuit.

Across the courtyard, Laura was issuing orders of her own. “Please, gather everyone together to see if all are accounted for...”

Derek tuned out the noise around him. Someone was going to have to tell Cora. It was probably for the best if it was him. He scrubbed a hand over his face, feeling exhausted right down to his bones. Luckily, Dr. Deaton was already present.

“Alan,” Derek said. “Could you prepare a scrying pool? I need to inform the princess Cora of tonight’s events.”

“Indeed, someone should tell her.” Deaton gestured for Derek to follow. “Shall I arrange for it in you chambers?”

“Please,” Derek said, catching Laura’s eye across the chaos. The watch tower was mostly extinguished, cinders still burning faintly in the darkness. For now, the situation was contained.

A scrying pool was an object capable of transmitting an image to the scryer. It could be a basin of water, a mirror, or even a polished sword. Stiles had developed a spell allowing for a two-way connection that acted as a means of communication, infinitely faster than letters. For all of its innovation, it was simple magic, something that Stiles could have done in his sleep.

Derek blinked away the stab of pain and focused on his surroundings. There was no need to dwell on ghosts.

Luckily, Deaton was an accomplished mage in his own right. In a matter of minutes, Derek was looking into the polished surface of a mirror and seeing Cora for the first time in several days.

“Make this quick, I’m supposed to be in a meeting soon and I would like to review my notes,” she rifled through a thick stack of pages before actually looking into her scrying pool. At the sight of the expressions on Derek and Laura’s faces, she froze, dropping her papers out of sight. “What’s wrong.”

“About an hour ago, Beacon was attacked.” Laura glanced away, the scent of guilt clinging to her, even though there was nothing she could have done to prevent the events that transpired.

Cora dropped into whatever seat was in front of her end of the connection. “Where is Lydia.”

“There was a dragon,” Laura continued, still looking off to the side, not meeting Cora’s accusatory glare. “It set fire to the watch tower as a diversion.”

Derek pushed into Laura’s space, trying to offer his sister comfort. “The dragon took Lydia in the confusion,” he finished when she hesitated, unable to speak the words.

“I leave for two days and you somehow manage to lose my wife?” Cora was beside herself. She paced at the other end of the scrying pool, hands tangled in her hair, breathing ragged. She’d been adamant about crossing the Silver Sea to meet with the druid leaders. It was an unprecedented opportunity, a chance to work together to prevent something like the darach from happening again.

Derek should have gone in her place, but Stiles had paid a heavy price to vanquish the darach. He didn’t think he could listen to one more account of how the High Mage of Beacon turned the darach’s magic turned against her, resulting in an implosion that decimated everything in a quarter-mile radius and left nothing but ash.

“There was no sign-” Laura and Cora were still discussing the dragon.

“The knights will go after the beast.” Derek interrupted. “I swear we will bring Lydia home before you return from your mission.”

The following silence spoke volumes. Derek knew what it was like to have his other half ripped away. He was not going to let that same thing happen to his younger sister.

Cora let out a breath. “Negotiations have only just started. I don’t know that I can leave without destroying what little connection we’ve forged with the druids.”

A year ago, Cora would have already been on a ship back to Beacon. But now, every line of her being screamed agony, caught in making the decision between her country and her heart. Derek ached for her, wishing he could take her place.

Laura looked between her siblings, then stood. “I have plans to make if both of my advisors are going to be absent.”

Derek nodded at her in gratitude. For all that the three were connected by blood, the bond between Derek and Cora was different. Perhaps because neither sibling had to shoulder the burden of leading their country.

Once the door closed, Cora stopped her pacing. She perched on the seat again and sighed.

“It’s only been a month. I thought…” She paused, clearly employing her diplomatic training. “I’d be asking you to take on responsibility again when you’ve barely gotten over your loss.”

“Cora…” he trailed off. He doubted he would ever get over losing Stiles, but that didn’t mean he could do nothing while Lydia was missing. She was his dearest friend and the past month had only brought them closer.

“I know that I just got here,” Cora said, ignoring him. “But if you feel stressed or overwhelmed, I will come back.”

“Leading search parties isn’t your responsibility anymore.” Indeed, Cora had requested to take on an ambassadorial role after her marriage. There was more appeal to staying far from danger when you had someone waiting for you at home.

“Well.” Cora pushed back from the scrying pool, valiantly trying to mask the worry on her face. “It will be good for you to get out more.”

Despite everything, Derek snorted. “I’ll send you souvenirs. Maybe some river mud. Or trail scat.”

“Please don’t.” Cora made a face of disgust, then sobered. “Be safe, Derek. Beacon needs her prince. And Laura and I need our brother.”

Derek nodded. “I will. And I promise I’ll bring Lydia back.”

“I know. You love her too,” Cora said, managing a smile.

She ended the connection and Derek got to his feet. He had a beast to hunt.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's 2AM... no proof-reading, no beta, no gods, no masters

Tracking prey was instinctual for werewolves. Tracking a massive flying lizard was slightly more complicated.

“Highness.” Isaac jogged up, maille clinking. “One of the villagers claim they saw the dragon hovering above the Whispering Wood.”

“Recently?” It was day three of the hunt and so far, Derek had seen no sign of the beast that took his sister-in-law. They were chasing down rumors and it was trying everyone’s patience.

Isaac nodded. “It was only this morning.”

“Then we go to the Wood.” Derek pulled at the strap across his chest that kept his shield in place. “Hopefully we can end this soon.”

“I, for one, cannot wait to take a bath,” Erica grumbled, retying her hair for the hundredth time.

Boyd shook his head fondly, Erica’s helmet secured under one arm. “I miss real bread,” he said, taking another bite of hard biscuit.

Derek closed his eyes. He missed Stiles and he missed his best friend. One of them had yet to be found and the other wouldn’t be waiting when he returned to the castle.

“Did your source have any other information, Sir Lahey?” Derek asked.

“He said he was out checking the traps he’d set.” Isaac shifted his pack to retrieve his compass from a side pocket. “In the foothills of the Serpentine Mountains.”

Erica frowned. “Wait. Near the Iron Fortress?”

It was like a blunted claw tearing through Derek’s heart. The ruins of the Iron Fortress were located just across the pass from where Stiles and the darach had fought. Where Stiles had died. Derek shook the agonizing thoughts from his head.

“Then we go to the Iron Fortress,” he said.

Boyd handed Erica her helmet and refastened his pack. “The ruins will at least offer some shelter for the night.”

They set out through the Whispering Wood. Derek was in a sour mood, which seemed to permeate the entire party as they followed game paths through the underbrush. Isaac occasionally checked his compass and adjusted their course, but they walked in relative silence until Boyd called for a rest.

Erica immediately dropped down beside Derek, knocking their shoulders together. “How are you holding up?”

Derek sighed. One problem with being a werewolf was dealing with an overprotective pack. Another was the inability to lie to said pack.

“I’m dealing with it,” he said.

She made an unsatisfied noise and turned to the others. “How far out do you think we are?”

“About an hour’s march to the ruins,” Isaac answered, without looking up from where he was tracing a stick through the dirt.

Boyd passed her some of his dried fruit. “We’ll find the dragon and rescue Lydia soon.”

“Then, we’ll go home and sleep in our nice warm bed.”

Laughing, Boyd tucked away the provisions and got to his feet. “And in a week, you will be bored of the castle again.”

“He’s right,” Isaac said. “You’re absolutely insufferable when you’re bored.”

Erica pouted before taking Boyd’s outstretched hand and letting him tug her to her feet. Although Derek knew they were feigning lightness for his benefit, he felt better listening to their banter.

“We should reach the ruins before dusk.” Derek refastened his sword to his belt. “Keep your eyes on the sky.”

They marched toward the looming mountains. Oddly enough, it was Isaac who broke the silence first. “The last time a dragon was sighted in Beacon was during the Rogue’s War, yes?”

The war had established the Serpentine Mountains as the boundary between Beacon and the Untamed Lands. And left the once proud Iron Fortress in ruins.

“That’s correct,” Derek said, not certain where Isaac was going with that particular question.

But Erica was already nodding. “Didn’t your great-grandmother also have to fight a darach?”

Queen Beatrice, the first Hale alpha, had defeated a powerful magic wielder, a dragon, and an army from the Untamed Lands in a single war. Whether or not that magic wielder was as twisted as the darach was impossible to say.

“The darach is gone,” Derek bit out. “And the dragon will be dealt with soon.”

“Quiet.” Boyd signaled for them to halt.

The covering of trees had thinned, revealing the outer wall of the fortress before them. Turning to his second, Derek was about to ask for the reason behind the sudden halt when he _felt_, rather than heard, the shift in the air.

Thud.

A pause, like the lull between heartbeats.

Thud.

“Dragon!” Erica shouted from somewhere behind him.

The beast circled the clearing, losing altitude each time.

“Shields!” Derek pulled his own shield over his head, knowing it would do little against dragon fire.

The ground shook as the dragon landed, clumsy on its feet. It tucked its wings tight against its body, looking even larger in the small clearing. Before the beast could open its maw, Derek hurled his spear He felt a vicious sense of satisfaction as it buried itself amongst the dark scales.

“Stop!” a familiar voice shouted, tinged at the edge with banshee magic.

Time froze, Isaac’s arrow dropping out of the sky. Derek forgot to breathe.

Lydia finally entered the clearing, still clad in the nightdress she was kidnapped in.

“You absolute moron!” she yelled, heading straight for the dragon.

The beast made a pathetic whimpering sound and she threw up her hands.

“I know. I know. You’re trapped in some star-crossed romance, but he’s armed and he doesn’t know it’s you.” She stepped onto the dragon’s massive paw to better observe the spear piercing through the muscle of its shoulder.

Derek fought to run to her defense, but the spell held him fast.

Lydia ignored the company of knights, smoothing her palms down the dragon’s scales in what was clearly meant to be a soothing gesture. “Will you be okay if I deal with them first?”

She waited for the dragon’s nod before hopping down. Straightening her dirty skirts, she still managed to look regal.

“If I remove the spell, I need your word that you will not harm this dragon.” Lydia surveyed the knights until her iron gaze landed on Derek.

He grit his teeth, wondering what sort of enchantment the beast had worked on his friend.

Lydia sighed. “Derek, please.”

Despite the terrible feeling of dread, Derek assented. “You have my word. No harm will come to the beast.”

The dragon snorted, almost like it was laughing. Derek found himself mesmerized by the familiar golden color of its eyes.

“Erica, Boyd. You can hold his wings down. Isaac, I want you to remove the spear and stop the bleeding.” Lydia dropped the magic freezing them in place. “Derek, stand back.”

The beast lowered its head, making low grumbling noises in its throat. Lydia looped her arms around its neck.

“Ready,” Erica said, bracing one massive wing with her whole body.

“Ready,” Boyd echoed from the other side.

“Isaac, on the count of three.” Lydia stroked a hand against the dragon’s neck. “One. Two. Three.”

Derek expected a mighty roar, or perhaps for all of them to be incinerated by dragon fire. But the beast just squeezed its eyes closed and whined as the spear tore free.

“You just had to be an idiot,” Lydia said fondly, letting go of the beast’s head to help Isaac staunch the blood leaking from the wound.

The dragon huffed as if it were offended by her words, blowing a stream of smoke skyward.

Lydia gave the dragon one last pat before turning to the ruins. “Now we can see how badly I’ve burned our dinner.”

The beast spread its wings, like it was thinking of taking to the sky. Lydia whipped around and it immediately tucked its wings back into place and hung its head.

“That’s right,” she said. “You have to climb the wall like the rest of us tonight.”

Derek kept a wary eye on the beast as he followed the others into the ruins. But it did nothing more than slither over a crumbling wall and into the fortress. In what was once a banquet hall, Lydia had cleared out the fireplace and something that smelled like venison was roasting over the flames.

“Smells good!” Erica pulled a dagger out of her belt and set about serving.

Derek took two portions to where Lydia was sitting, leaving Isaac, Erica, and Boyd to argue over who had to share bowls.

“You shouldn’t have come,” Lydia said, clearly fretting.

“Lydia,” Derek leaned forward. “Whatever this beast is doing to keep you here, we can fix.”

She picked at her food before saying, “he is no more a beast than you are.”

“You mean the dragon isn’t actually a dragon?” Derek looked over to where the beast was snapping up bits of meat that Erica tossed in its direction.

Lydia nodded. “I think he’s stuck in a shift.”

Derek barely refrained from shuddering. Losing one’s anchor so completely that you were trapped in an animal’s mind was a shifter’s biggest fear.

“Does it – he,” Derek corrected himself, “have an anchor?”

“He was struggling with amnesia when we met.” Lydia watched the dragon, eyes sad.

She pulled her nightdress around her, as if trying to stave off the chill. Derek cursed, reaching for his pack and digging out his spare clothing. Sometimes he forgot how fragile humans could be.

“Here.” He held out the clothes. “Can’t have you freezing now that you’ve been rescued.”

Lydia rolled her eyes, smiling. “Thank you, Derek.”

She stepped into another room, leaving Derek with the others. But when he turned back to the group, Isaac, Erica, and Boyd were setting up camp by the fire and the dragon was watching him with an unwavering gaze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter (hopefully) up next week XD

**Author's Note:**

> Summary (SPOILERS): Stiles is assumed dead after confronting a more powerful sorcerer. In actuality, he is cursed to transform into a dragon. He kidnaps Lydia to get her assistance in breaking the curse, but Derek and everyone else think he's an evil princess-snatching dragon. There's a happy ending I promise!!
> 
> Link to rebloggable tumblr gifs [HERE!!](https://theproblemwithstardust.tumblr.com/post/188641283497/the-prince-and-the-dragon-less-than-a-month-after)


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